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Break to Breathe	By : Okami-Rayne Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Shikamaru/Neji Views: 1959 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: NARUTO and its respective characters were created and are owned by Masashi Kishimoto. No copyright infringement intended. I make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 38
- 39
- 40
BREAK TO BREATHE

by Okami Rayne

Chapter Thirty Nine
They were greeted by children.
A troop of clambering kids that clustered around Neji and Shikamaru the second they stepped past the deactivated barrier to enter the rebels' tunnels. Neither shinobi were prepared for the enthusiastic welcome, although Neji bore the brunt of the onslaught, having stepped in first.
Shikamaru wisely fell back a pace, leaving Neji to attempt to clear a path. The Hyūga ended up standing stiffly on the spot, attempting to marshal his reactions. In some way, this was worse than an ambush by enemies.
One of the last things he wanted near him right now…children…
Buoyant, smiling faces of preserved innocence and hope.
Children completely oblivious to their state of captivity when the remembrance and reality of his own was still so raw inside him. It felt like Shikamaru had crashed him up against the bars of his cage and forced him to acknowledge the one who'd locked him in it and thrown away the key.
Keep your focus.
He felt those innocent eyes imploring his attention, small hands tugging at the sleeves of his robes...tugging just as he did in his dreams…tugging at that white shroud…never able to pull it back…just watch it grow…and grow…
Stop.
Neji curled his fingers into loose fists, the claustrophobic circle of children pressing closer and calling louder.
Gods not now…
He'd have activated his Byakugan to scare and scatter them back a few paces, but he had neither the energy nor the chakra to spare. It was becoming harder to channel it effectively and the pain it took to sustain it was growing.
I need to reassess my tenketsu. Fast.
Distracted by the children's animated chatter and a steadily growing pressure in his head, Neji almost missed the bounding of a blond and orange figure nudging its way through the crowd.
"Hey!" a husky voice growled.
Neji turned just as Naruto's hand shot out past the upraised arms of one of the little girls, startling her into hiding behind the Hyūga as Naruto clamped his hand down on the Jōnin's shoulder.
The Uzumaki forced a tight smile, speaking through grit teeth. "You're real lucky there are kids here."
So are you.
Neji arched a brow, calmly raising the back of his palm to Naruto's wrist to shove the grip off his shoulder. Naruto gripped harder.
"Let go of me," Neji warned, keeping his voice as level and stoic as his face. Inside, he was shaking.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, his face heating with suppressed anger. "Or what? You'll smash your fist into my face too?"
Neji's eyes flashed, but a sharp jolt of his hand knocked off Naruto's grip.
Naruto bunched a fist, but made no move to use it. If anything, those turbulent blue eyes almost softened in their confusion.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Neji?"
"Nothing's wrong anymore," Shikamaru spoke up. He slanted past the Hyūga in a lazy sway at total odds with Neji's rigid stance. "It's sorted and we're not gonna waste time talking it over. Got it?"
It took everything Neji had not to turn his head.
Shikamaru's voice carried more like a raincloud than its usual smoke; heavy and weighted, despite its unbothered tones. It was another chameleon act. An act that disguised the rough gravel his voice had been only an hour before. Now that voice was elusive and unreadable and it choked up something deep in Neji's chest that hadn't stopped hurting.
Focus.
He kept his eyes on Naruto, watching as the Uzumaki furiously perused him and Shikamaru, trying to read something into silence hanging between them. The tension built, pulsing ominously despite the airy giggles of the children weaving between the three shinobi.
"Fine," Naruto eventually said, his brows drawn low over his eyes. "Hibari said you guys were gettin' chakra pills. Was that some lame cover story or what?"
Neji offered no reaction to the suspicious glare. Shikamaru, however, tugged something from his flak-jacket. The rattle of pills sounded as the Nara shook the pouch. One of the children reached for it, but Shikamaru feigned a magic trick by making it disappear with a subtle but quick dip and twist of his wrist.
The little girl stared in wonder, smiling. "Wow!"
Shikamaru didn't smile back.
Naruto grinned crookedly at her instead. "Alright, guess Hibari will be happy to get those, huh?"
"Hibari-niisan!" the girl chirped.
Shikamaru muttered something in response but Neji didn't hear it because sound suddenly warped under the pressure in his ears. The blood rush caused his vision to fizz into tiny dots and bursts of colour.
Breathe.
He drew a slow breath, fighting against the urge to lean into the wall of the tunnel.
Damn it. Is this the exertion of the Byakugan?
Fortunately, he'd used his dōjutsu earlier to record the imprint of Ozuku's face. That had been pivotal. If he had to reserve its usage now, then he'd find a way to accommodate for it.
Taijutsu will have to suffice for now, until I can locate a medic outside of Konoha.
A soft peel of laughter drew his focus back as Naruto hefted a young boy onto his shoulders, ducking his head and swaying to keep his balance as the child waved his arms about.
Neji's gaze immediately locked onto the curse mark branded into the boy's arm.
He didn't sense Shikamaru following his gaze.
"So what's the game plan?" Naruto asked.
Not to lose.

One foot in front of the other.
That's all that mattered at this point, because his mind was already the necessary steps ahead. All he had to do was make sure his feet kept up. Simple. Stupid simple.
The corners of Shikamaru's eyes pinched; the squint being the only indication on his face that his mind was processing faster than he could ever walk or run.
He could sense Neji at his back, paces behind, the regal gait driven and steady.
Shikamaru clenched his eyes shut, glad to be sandwiched between Naruto and the Hyūga so that neither could see his face. He gave himself a few seconds to steel his expression.
This is it. It starts now.
He snapped his eyes open.
"Naruto."
The Uzumaki turned at the waist, wobbling a little as the kid on his shoulders wriggled around as well. Shikamaru slotted his hands into his pockets, shuttered his eyes to a familiar half-mast and stopped walking.
Neji strode straight past, continuing on after the children without a backward glance.
Shikamaru pulled every muscle taut against the urge to move after him. He was beyond that now. There would be no more chasing down. He'd lost – cruelly but inevitably. Neji was beyond reach and reason. He always had been. Shikamaru had been racing after a ghost.
Stupid. To have thought it would turn out any other way…
The logic dropped like a lead weight straight into his chest.
Damn if that didn't hurt.
He drew a slow breath and cleared his throat.
"Naruto…" Shikamaru said again, drawing the Uzumaki's confused glare away from Neji's back. "Put the kid down. We need to talk."
Naruto's face scrunched in a caricatured mask of confusion. "Where's Neji goin'?"
Shikamaru shrugged, pretending he wasn't asking himself the same thing. The immediate possibilities centred on the Hyūga either re-evaluating his tenketsu, or equipping himself with weaponry to accommodate for his ninjutsu.
Naruto scowled. "After what happened you're just gonna let him wander off?"
Shikamaru arched a brow, bit back his sarcastic retort and said nothing.
Naruto snorted, crouched down and gently dipped until the kid hopped off him. He offered a beaming grin as he watched the boy scamper off after the other children.
Shikamaru was prepared for the dark look Naruto levelled him with when the Uzumaki turned back. "What? You want me to just pretend he didn't hammer your head into a wall?"
Shikamaru didn't blink. "Yeah, that's about right."
"But—!"
"Drop it. We need to move," Shikamaru cut across him, underlining the words by rolling his step into a walk. "I don't give you trouble for doing what you have to do, so how about you return the favour."
Naruto fell into step with him and at an indication from Shikamaru they turned left into one of the adjacent tunnels. "Protecting my friends isn't somethin' I'll trade in as a favour, Shikamaru."
"It's handled," Shikamaru said, his voice flat with the fact. "Don't make trouble for me."
"Shikamaru…"
The shadow-nin didn't need to look across to sense that the whine of concern would be nothing compared to the look in Naruto's eyes.
"Don't give me the guilt-tripping puppy eyes. I told you I'd be alright. If you wanna help me out, then there's something I need."
"What's that?"
"Toad oil."
Naruto's step faltered in confusion, but he skipped forward to keep up. "Sure. Uh…why do you need it?"
"All part of the game plan," Shikamaru muttered, deliberately vague as he breezed into the warren-like room they'd been staying in.
"Shikamaru-kun!" Lee bounded out from one of the dens, a trail of bandage tape sailing through the air behind him. "You're alright?"
Shikamaru nodded curtly, his eyes shifting to Lee's hands as the bushy-browed ninja energetically wrapped his wrist and forearm in familiar strips of white. The shadow-nin's eyes narrowed calculatedly.
"Got any of that stuff to spare?" he asked, cocking his head toward the ribbon of tape trailing after Lee.
"Yes, I have reels of it. Preparation is a rule of thumb!"
"Mind if I take some?" Shikamaru queried, ignoring Naruto's suspicious glance.
Lee darted without question to retrieve said tape, leaving Shikamaru to orbit the table still littered with maps. He crouched down and tugged two of them free, scanning the layout of the village, his finger tapping above the Temple twice. He didn't look up as Naruto came to stand just to the side of him.
"Shikamaru…what happened with—"
"If you could give whatever toad oil you've got to Chōji and tell him to come find me, that'll save time," Shikamaru muttered, his focus cast down.
"I thought we weren't gonna blow stuff up," Naruto grumbled cautiously, folding his arms. "Looks like everyone's actin' weird, huh?"
Shikamaru glanced up from under his lashes, arching a brow.
"You might wanna move now, Naruto," the Nara ordered more than advised, taking up a red crayon and two maps, which he swiftly folded and slotted into his flak-jacket. "I'll be outside the interrogation room. Tell Chōji to move fast."
"Fine, whatever," Naruto turned slightly, frowning when Shikamaru just brushed past him without another word. "Shikamaru…"
The shadow-nin didn't halt his stride, catching the reel of tape that Lee chucked over with an appreciative tilt of his head. "Thanks. Lee, I'm gonna leave a strategy drawn up in interrogation. Send everyone over in an hour to look it over so they know their positions. I'll be back with Chōji in time to confirm it."
"Roger!"
"Shikamaru…" Naruto tried again, louder this time.
The shadow-nin kept walking. "What?"
"You sure you're okay?"
Shikamaru scowled, calling back over his shoulder. "What do you want, a brain scan? I'm fine. Start moving."

"Keep moving," Hibari ordered, grey eyes tracking over each child as the line of kids filed out in a chattering stream. "Keep to one side of the tunnel, don't obstruct the passageway."
Older children flanked the line, making sure the younger ones kept in a neat procession as they marched down the evacuation route. Shikamaru kept to the other side of the tunnel, striding along against the grain of movement.
Hibari greeted him with a lift of his chin.
Shikamaru tossed him the pouch of chakra pills, which the redhead caught one-handed.
"Thanks. I owe you one."
"Then I'm gonna cash in the favour now," Shikamaru informed, moving to stand the opposite side of the doorway as children filtered through between them.
Hibari kept his eyes on the kids, but raised his voice to carry across. "Should I be worried?"
"No. But I need one of your barrier jutsu scrolls."
Shikamaru was prepared for the confused glance Hibari shot his way and he parried it with a faint smirk. "Backup plan."
Hibari studied him for a moment, grey eyes sharp and speculative. Shikamaru waited and watched, his hip cocked against the frame of the doorway in a manner more relaxed than his gaze.
The unspoken deadlock didn't last long.
Hibari quirked his lip, extended his arm slowly, then dropped his hand on the head of one of the passing children, stopping a boy mid-pace.
"Owww!" the child exaggerated, teetering on one foot. "Not the hair!"
Hibari ruffled his hair. "Sho-kun, bring me a purple scroll. Mark it in the inventory."
The kid pouted and attempted to flatten his mussed strands, which spiked out again in a kind of hedgehog fuzz. "Aww man," the boy groused, shuffling back the way he'd come.
Shikamaru inclined his head, not thanking Hibari yet.
The redhead caught on, smiling grimly. "That's not all, is it?"
"No," Shikamaru admitted and seeing no way to edge around the truth, he spoke frankly. "I need Kitori too."
In an instant, Hibari's smile was gone; his lips thinned tightly. "Why?"
"When I spoke with her she mentioned an escape route from the Temple." Shikamaru rapped his knuckles against the wall of the tunnel. "A passageway that leads from the scroll chamber out into the forest. That true?"
"Yeah. It's how my sister escaped with the scrolls."
"I need to know exactly where it is so we don't have any of Ozuku's people slipping out," Shikamaru explained, impressing urgency as he leaned away from the wall, straightening up. "I need to find it now. There's not gonna be time later."
Hibari's eyes narrowed and drifted towards the children for a moment. Shikamaru could read the distracted flicker in the grey orbs. He didn't like the hesitation, but he wasn't in the position to push the redhead. It would give away too much and ultimately the less bullshit he had to hand out, the less chance of it hitting a fan and flying back in his face.
Come on, Tsubasa…
Hibari worked his jaw and rubbed a thumb along the firm edge, shaking his head slowly; a bad sign, but it wasn't conclusive yet. Fortunately, the hedgehog-haired kid came stampeding down the line, waving a purple scroll around.
"Yo! Hibari-niisan!"
Shikamaru watched the redhead's expression waver at the shout, knocking him out of his brooding. Hibari huffed out a forced, tension-relieving chuckle and reached across the heads of curious children to take the scroll from the kid. Then he smacked the boy upside the back of the head with it, before handing it across to Shikamaru.
"Oi!" the kid gaped. "Why!"
"Don't run in the tunnels," Hibari admonished with a smirk.
Some of the children giggled.
The hedgehog-haired kid scowled, then yelped as Hibari ruffled his hair.
"My hair's gonna end up like that!" the boy whined in dismay, stabbing a finger at Shikamaru's ponytail. "It's not fair!"
Shikamaru arched a brow, but took no offence.
Hibari cuffed the boy's head lightly. "Don't point. It's rude." At Shikamaru's vaguely amused look he added another cuff to the tally. "And don't insult allies."
"Nice 'work ethic' with the kids, I can see why you knocked Naruto out," Shikamaru drawled, but it sounded forced, the humour barely squeezing through the dam he'd walled up around everything but his cold, calculating logic.
He couldn't entertain anything else right now.
People were pieces and the game was in motion.
"Well, I've trusted you this far," Hibari sighed, ushering the pouting kid along with a pat to his head before angling Shikamaru with a look. "I don't like it, but alright. Kitori's with Isuka. Do what you need to do, but you'd better get back fast."
Shikamaru nodded, turning away. "Count on it. Make sure that vial is ready."
"Yeah," Hibari snorted, tapping his face with the back of his fingers. "If I'm a few shades paler you'll know why."
Shikamaru managed a weak twist of his lips, but the grim amusement never touched his eyes.
Let's hope your blood is all it costs us.

He tasted the blood before he saw it.
It rode up his throat, hot and red.
God not again.
The pain strangled it out of him and it tore from his lips in a choked cough, speckling the cement of the sink bowl. Neji shuddered as he gripped the basin, locking his elbows to keep himself upright, breathing hoarsely through his nose.
Just a little longer…
He slipped his eyes open half-way.
The blood was thicker than normal, the droplets clinging rather than dripping.
Scowling, Neji dragged his tongue across his teeth and spat, grimacing at the coppery tang and the scent of iron. It coated his mouth, prompting an angry grind of his jaw. He twisted the crude-looking faucet and cupped water to his lips, washing the red stain from his teeth.
He should have suspected as much. Shikamaru hadn't been wrong regarding his inability to heal the embolisms, but the Nara had underestimated his ability to deceive his body just a little longer.
A little longer is all I need. After this mission, I will contend with this.
Neji splashed his face, blinking the water from his lashes as he straightened up, stepping back from the sink. He set his gaze on the wall, staring at the paler space where the mirror had been. He could still feel glass beneath his sandals, crunching with every movement. It was this sound that alerted him to the presence across the room.
He turned his head slightly. "You should not be here."
"Neji…please…"
The Jōnin turned at the soft words, coloured with the same concern as the lavender eyes that met his steely gaze. The two Hyūga shinobi regarded each other in silence for a moment. Hinata's focus drifted down a little, settling on his chest. Neji calmly tugged up the neck of his robe, covering the fresh marks just under his collarbone.
Hinata's eyes traced back up to his face. "Whatever it is…I…I'll change it…I promise I'll change it."
"Hinata-sama…"
"Please…"
Neji blinked slowly, a ruthless calm settling over his face as his cousin stepped forward, undeterred by the chill he exuded. He respected her for confronting him, but there were clear lines between them – the kind that could never blur or melt away into pretences of closeness. Not until the change she spoke of became a reality – but right now, it was a dream.
And he had no desire to hedge his destiny on another's dream, no matter how well-intentioned.
Hinata clearly read his lack of trust, because she implored him with a look of such selfless compassion and sadness that he couldn't help but look away from her.
"Hinata-sama, you are still too kind and too gentle," he spoke the words quietly, without the condescending pity he'd once used to deliver them. "I cannot wait for those virtues to replace the vices that forced my hand."
"Against yourself," Hinata whispered fiercely. "You force your hand against yourself…"
The memory of his chakra-laced fist slamming into Shikamaru's jaw hit his heart with the same impact, cracking one layer of freshly encased denial all over again.
"If only that were true," Neji uttered beneath his breath.
"Neji-niisan, please just wait a little longer. I promise, I…I will make things right."
They were bitter, brittle promises.
Neji's icy gaze softened as he glanced at her.
Her expression arched hopefully, her fingers curled above her heart as if holding these fragile promises. He knew Hinata would keep them, if only she had a chance of attaining them. But they were dreams that only the clan could grant her the power to manifest. The elders had branded Hinata as weak. And weakness wasn't just a rusty link in the chain of Hyūga control. It was a threat that could collapse the entire order.
Another bitter irony of the 'gentle fist' was the Hyūga code to rule with an iron one.
But Hinata would sooner extend an open palm than clench her hand.
Mercy above might.
And what had this mercy garnered her? Cutting words and condescending dismissal. Hiashi's eye had turned toward Hanabi as an heir and while Hinata's heart was stronger in its compassion, Hanabi's potential to surpass her sister in combat would only grow with Hiashi instructing her.
To think that he even trained me, a Branch child…above his own daughter…
Hinata's ability had never been encouraged to reach its potential. And it never would be. Unless of course, someone outside of the Main House's circle were to step in and train with her; teach her to perfect the discovery of her own techniques and strengths without the pressure of expectation or ridicule.
Someone to train her without controlling or restricting her progress…
Neji shook his head, feeling ridiculous for even considering the role.
It was a dangerous deviation from his goal.
"I will make things right for myself, Hinata-sama," he murmured, making to move past her. "I need no interference."
The second he turned, Hinata's left foot shifted back a pace, an automatic movement that would slide into a defensive stance in an instant. Neji expected no less. It's not as if he'd ever given her a solid reason to believe he was beyond lashing out. Even three years worth of tentatively mended trust had not obliterated that fear completely.
If I could take it back…would it change anything?
Hinata swallowed, her gentle face fracturing like a porcelain doll's.
So when she spoke with surprising strength, her words stopped him short.
"Neji-niisan, please don't do this…"
And like a knock-on effect from her words, Shino's voice flipped to the forefront of his mind; an echo of the Aburame's neutral timbre crawling beneath his indifference.
"She is worried for you. That puts her at risk. As a Hyūga, doesn't that concern you?"
Neji tilted his head down a fraction, glancing at Hinata.
She stared back up at him, her brow furrowed, one hand clenched to her chest.
No, her worry for him didn't concern him as a Hyūga.
As a Hyūga, it was his duty to be concerned for her, not the other way around.
Perhaps they put us both in cages…even her gilded cage…is still a cage...
In many ways, they'd damaged her as badly as they'd damaged him. Only they'd destroyed Hinata's confidence; they hadn't touched his. But then, they hadn't managed to crush Hinata's kindness or cripple her heart. Neji was certain that they'd ripped his heart out by the roots. Hinata's roots were not so easily reached. Even when Neji had attacked that vital organ in her chest, it had healed itself with the same compassion that had caused Neji to wound it in the first place.
For all his strength, the scars around his heart had only hardened – never healed.
Something changed in his eyes then, maybe one of the many ghosts of pain and rage found a kind of quiet acceptance inside of him. Whatever it was, it surprised Hinata enough to cause her to step back uncertainly.
"Neji…?" she called sadly.
Neji turned toward her, his pale eyes set in the same serene cast as his face. Hinata's swift intake of breath didn't go unnoticed as he reached out a hand, setting it calmly on her shoulder. Her eyes widened, almost comically. He might have tried to smile, but the twitch at his lips was so imperceptible that his expression never really changed.
"They broke whatever familial bond we might have had before we could create it," Neji said softly, regretfully. "And for years, I believed the lie that things could never have been different, even when I thought they should have been."
"Neji…"
"To think things might have been different is nothing compared to knowing now that they could have been."
Hinata said nothing.
Too stunned by her sadness to respond.
A lone tear glittered on the barrier of her lashes, then spilled over, tracing a single path down her cheek. Neji did smile then. A sorrowful curve of his lips that he could no more hold back than Hinata could her next tear, which streaked a mirrored path down her opposite cheek.
"I'm so sorry, Neji…" she whispered.
Neji shook his head, hesitating before awkwardly cupping her cheek. "So am I. Should the day come when you have the power to prevent Hyūga cousins and siblings from suffering what was done to us, I trust you will do whatever is necessary."
Hinata pressed her lips tightly, lavender eyes watery. "Yes."
Neji nodded, waiting until she did the same before he cautiously set his hand back to her shoulder. "One day, obligation and obedience will no longer be the recognised reasons as to why I protect you, Hinata-sama."
A fresh flood of tears shimmered across the kunoichi's eyes. Ashamed, she bowed her head, squeezing her lashes shut. Neji frowned, though not unkindly.
"Do not lower your head or your gaze, Hinata," he admonished quietly. "Not to me and never to them."
Hinata raised her gaze first, her chin lifting as she sniffed. She met his look squarely, with a quiet strength that came from the courage it took to hold emotion in her eyes despite the risk of being attacked for it.
I would envy you this kind of strength, if I didn't think it would destroy me rather than save me.
Hinata parted her lips to speak, but no words came. Whatever it was, it was probably better left unsaid. So much of what mattered often was.
The memory of Shikamaru's lips moving wordlessly against his skin came back to him.
No.
Forcibly ignoring the ache in his chest, Neji squeezed Hinata's shoulder gently, offering a fragile comfort he could not shape in words.
Do not let them keep you in a cage too…
He dropped his hand away after a moment and took a broad step back; back behind the line their clan had drawn between them years ago.
Then he walked away.
He didn't hear the soft whisper of her words.
"I'm so sorry…Shikamaru-kun…"

This had better work.
Swamped in the dim throb of lantern light, Shikamaru surveyed his game plan. The village map, marked in places with red crayon, was spread atop the wobbly table outside the interrogation room.
He stared hard at the layout.
It 'has' to work...
Focusing on this urgency, he planted his left foot on one of the rickety chairs and leaned forward, bracing his elbow across his knee. His mind turned faster than the speed of the red crayon he spun over in his fingers. Gaze narrowed in calculation, he traced an uncharted path across the map. A path that didn't exist - yet.
Kiba and Akamaru.
Nodding his head to his silent thoughts, Shikamaru flicked his gaze to the sketch of the aviary, tapping the crayon above the label 'TEAM A'.
Naruto, Kiba, me.
He slid his gaze across to the other crayon-marked points scattered across the village atlas, imprinting the image in his mind, mapping out the strategy quickly.
Rebels. Team R.
He stabbed the tip of the crayon above the Temple, scrawling 'TEAM T' only to pause.
Neji…
"Shikamaru."
Startled, Shikamaru's hand jolted a waxy line across the Temple. "Shit…"
"Skittish, much?" Chōji teased. "What's up with that?"
Shikamaru smirked weakly and folded his fingers, curling the crayon against his palm as he glanced over at his friend. "Hey, did Naruto get you that toad oil?"
"Yeah, a whole load of it," Chōji wandered over to the opposite side of the table. The lantern light reflected off his plate armour, throwing a warm, relaxed glow across his face. "What's up?"
Shikamaru met his friend's gaze across the short distance. "I need your help…"
Chōji's eyes creased cheerily. "Well sure, like you had to ask."
Shikamaru didn't return the smile.
Chōji sobered instantly, his brow knotting in concern. "Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru paused and lowered his eyes, dark lashes casting crescents of shadow over his cheekbones. He stared down at the table, tapping his thumb against the flat end of the crayon.
"You trust me, right?" he asked quietly.
"With my life." No hesitation.
Shikamaru's lips twitched, then turned down in a frown. "You've done that before, you know…"
"Shikamaru," Chōji said softly, but there was an edge of friendly warning in his voice that the Nara didn't miss. "What's wrong?"
"It's the no questions asked kind of help," Shikamaru explained, raising his eyes. "Can you do that?"
Chōji nodded. "Yeah, if you tell me one thing."
"What?"
"Is it true what Kiba said?" Chōji's eyes strayed to his head. "Did Neji attack you?"
Fuck.
Shikamaru pursed his lips, remaining hunched over his propped arm and knee.
Chōji waited.
Seconds ticked by.
Shikamaru glanced away, knowing that Naruto's default protectiveness would pale in comparison to what Chōji would unleash. He'd have to tread carefully here.
Shit…
Shikamaru drew a slow breath, glancing back at his friend as he assessed the best way to prevent a human boulder from bulldozing Neji into the ground.
"Chōji, it's not as simple as that."
"Yes or no question really," Chōji replied, his large fist tapping onto one of the chairs.
Shikamaru glanced at the Akimichi's fingers. "And it's a 'yes but' answer."
Chōji's fist tightened.
The second it did, Shikamaru dropped his foot and straightened up from the table, drawing Chōji's focus back onto him before the Akimichi could set it on a destination beyond the door. One Shikamaru couldn't let him head in.
"Yeah, he attacked me, but I provoked him," the Nara added. "I just need you to trust me on this. Please."
Chōji's brows furrowed, his plate armour gleaming as he drew a loud, controlled breath, nostrils flaring with the effort. Shikamaru's eyes softened a little, asking now without words. Chōji caught the look, understood it and dropped his fist away from the chair.
"Are you okay?" the Akimichi asked quietly.
Shikamaru arched a brow, tapping his temple with two fingers. "Still works."
Chōji snorted but smiled, banishing the tension. "So what do you need me to do?"
Thank you.
Shikamaru reached into his flak-jacket, plucked out the reel of tape Lee had given him and chucked it over. Chōji caught it with a puzzled expression, turning it over in his large fingers.
"Tape?"
"I need you to soak it in toad oil," Shikamaru said, smiling at the confused look on Chōji's face. "Method to the madness and all that crap."
Before Chōji could respond, the door to the interrogation room slid open, drawing their gazes across as Isuka slipped out. "She's awake now, Shikamaru-san."
An angry hiss beyond the door confirmed it.
Wasting no time, Shikamaru crossed the distance in a few long strides, moving to brace his shoulder against the doorframe as he gazed into the yellowy-hued room steeped in shadows.
Kitori stopped tugging at her bindings and looked up sharply.
Her blood-shot, puffy eyes widened.
Shikamaru met the panicked look with a menacing calm.
Kitori grew still, watching him like a cornered animal.
Slowly, Shikamaru stretched out his hand to hover in front of one of the cracked lanterns. It cast the shadow of his hand across the room in exaggerated proportions, shrinking and swelling across the floor in a phantom threat.
Kitori swallowed thickly, recoiling with a glare. "I already told you…" she croaked.
"You did." Shikamaru curled his fingers and the shadow-hand beckoned ominously. "And now you're gonna show me."

He could only see it when he closed his eyes.
When he did, the image came back to him as clear as an inverted snapshot.
Neji held it in his mind's eye, his fingers straying across until he felt the crayon roll. He gripped it and began to sketch out the image on the parchment, following the design seamlessly. He reproduced the image to a perfection that might have suggested the Sharingan rather than the Byakugan had captured the original.
Done.
Neji slipped his eyes open and stared down at the design on the paper.
Ozuku's tattoos were no more for decoration than his own curse mark.
Neji set the crayon down and traced out the design with his fingertips. Kitori had said it was the key, now he understood why. The feather tattoos and markings, when pulled off the distortion of Ozuku's face and stamped onto a flat surface, all corresponded to a set of joined symbols. Symbols that formed a covert Tsubasa code; fortunately, Hibari would be able to decipher it.
He was the only Tsubasa other than Kitori, Ozuku and the council of advisers who could.
Little wonder they wanted him dead.
Neji frowned, catching movement out the corner of his eye. He glanced across to the door of the den and was unsurprised to hear the titter of children as he discerned two small figures crouched by the frame.
"You should be evacuating with the other children," the Hyūga admonished quietly.
The door slotted open a little more, revealing a familiar face framed by blonde curls.
Neji's eyes widened a little.
"Where's your friend?" the green-eyed child asked. "I brought a friend too."
Sure enough, a dark-haired girl popped her head around the door, grinning toothily. Neji recognised the child from the tunnels. She'd been impressed with Shikamaru's 'magic trick'.
"He has angel eyes," the blonde child whispered to her friend.
"Maki-chan," the other girl chided. "Hibari-niisan's gonna be mad."
Maki…?
At least he knew what to call this child now. His task completed, Neji curled up the paper and slotted it away into his black-and-tan bag, rising in a fluid, graceful movement that betrayed none of the dizziness he felt. He shouldered his bag and stepped over to the door, sliding it open completely – which caused the giggling duo to tumble into the room with twin yelps.
The Hyūga cocked his head as he glanced down, crouching to assist the children to their feet. "Maki-chan, can you take me to Hibari?"
Maki, delighted by his attention, nodded firmly, sending her curls bouncing as she planted her hands at her hips, adopting that Naruto-like pose she'd struck before. "Yup!"
Neji allowed himself what he hoped was a friendly smile, barely registering the tug on his robe until he noticed that the other girl was attempting to look up his sleeve. He arched a brow in query. The ebony-haired child blushed and hid behind her friend.
"Maki said he hid it up his sleeve," the little girl whispered. "He's tricky!"
Understanding pulled a more genuine smile to Neji's lips, but it didn't hold for long.
"He's clever," the Hyūga corrected distractedly.
"Being tricky is clever," Maki said with absolute confidence in the fact. "Does your friend play tricks on you?"
Neji hesitated, drawing his head back as if the query were toxic. For all its innocence, it stirred up unwanted questions within him; none of them innocent and all of them likely to corrupt whatever semblance of control he'd scraped back together.
Tricks…games…
Like smoke across his mind, the ghost of Shikamaru's voice came back to him, opaque with meaning.
"This…isn't…a game…"
Neji exhaled raggedly, rising from his crouch. The significance of those words hadn't been lost on him, neither had the frustration with which they'd been delivered – much less drilled into him in a very literal sense.
It wasn't a game. And it wasn't a trick. There were so many things that it wasn't.
As for whatever it was…
"It changes nothing…" he uttered to himself, not realising that Maki was watching him with disturbing perceptiveness.
"Don't be sad," she said brightly, grabbing his fingers.
Neji blinked from his glazed stare, setting his pale eyes on the child, then onto his fingers trapped in her grip. "What?"
"You said your friend's looking after you," Maki chirped, her small hand warm against his cold fingers. "That's what friends do!"
Neji stared at her, unable to work out a response. Maki must have taken this as agreement, because she offered a wide smile, took her friend's hand and then tugged Neji along behind them. He followed in silence, the soft giggles and spirited chatter drawing neither a smile nor a sound from him.
It wasn't their laughter pulling pain to his chest.
It wasn't their shrill voices causing the chill in his eyes to thaw.
It was the echo of a low, throaty chuckle wrapped in smoke and shadow in his mind, rolling through parts of him once kept as empty and as cold as the tunnels.

The forest felt hollow, haunted somehow now that the birds were gone. Like something had swept through and swallowed up Hanegakure's song and serenity, leaving emptiness behind.
The silence was eerie – unnatural – like the forest was holding its breath.
Shikamaru resisted the urge to do just that. He kept his gaze fixed ahead, centred on the hidden entrance Kitori had led them to. While he couldn't see it, he knew it was there, just as the cabin had been back at the borders of the forest. This was just one more illusion.
"Ladies first," Shikamaru uttered mirthlessly, dark eyes hard as he cocked his head toward the unseen entrance.
Kitori shot him a baleful glare, mirroring his stance until he released her shadow, allowing her to form the hand seals.
"Release," she whispered, deactivating the jutsu that masked the escape route.
It shimmered into existence.
Shikamaru examined the surrounding area with a quick sweep of his gaze, motioning Kitori forward with another tip of his head. The kunoichi sniffed disdainfully but obeyed, casting him a narrow glance. Her anger didn't touch him; it rolled off his defences harmlessly, leaving him every bit as unaffected as he looked.
"Move," he said, bored with the attempted defiance.
Kitori knotted her lips, a flicker touching her grey eyes that Shikamaru knew to be calculation. He was under no delusions as far as trusting this woman was concerned, but right now, rigging this tunnel and getting back to base was imperative.
"You cannot protect people from themselves, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru's jaw tightened at the calculated barb, his gaze flicking pointedly to the door, then back. "Move."
She wasn't in the position to do anything reckless; but he was prepared for it. He watched her closely as she pulled open the door, the hinges groaning against the movement. Tugging out a penlight he'd borrowed from Isuka, Shikamaru clicked the end and slanted the beam down along the tunnel.
He had Kitori walk it first, a few paces ahead of him and Chōji.
"We don't equip our escape routes with traps, Shikamaru," the kunoichi muttered with a condescending snort.
Shikamaru scowled, not at the words, but rather the fact that she'd decided to use his name – consistently – with a sense of perverse familiarity that made his skin crawl. He could only imagine what Neji must have felt, given her obsession with him.
"You're not very talkative this time, Shikamaru."
The shadow-nin arched a brow, paused, and indicated for Chōji to do the same. The beam of the penlight stopped swinging and dropped low. Kitori didn't have a chance to turn. Shadows laced around her, closing around her throat before binding her tightly on the spot like a mummified corpse.
"Chōji," Shikamaru said.
"Right." The Akimichi nodded grimly, tugging out a set of manacles and a length of chain.
Leaving Chōji to bind her securely, Shikamaru released his jutsu, not bothering to turn as Kitori slumped to her knees, coughing hoarsely as she rubbed at her throat, sucking in a shaky breath that hissed out on a curse.
"Yeah, start breathing through your nose," the Nara advised, taking up the penlight from the ground.
He cast the beam of light around the tunnel in quick flicks. Estimating the size of the passageway, he began again, rotating his wrist in a more calculated manner to slide the ray of illumination down along the wall until it hit a flight of stairs, which undoubtedly led up to the scroll chamber.
There.
Shikamaru sighed, feeling his breath mist back against his face, damp and warm in the cold air of the tunnel.
No turning back.
He crouched down and reached into his ninja pack to tug out an array of items; explosive tags, the purple barrier scroll Hibari had given him and the oil-soaked tape. He looked up as Chōji stepped over, leaving Kitori bound and gagged to one side of the tunnel.
"Ready?"
"Yeah." Shikamaru gripped the penlight and pulled free a kunai as he stood.
He swung the thin beam to one side of the tunnel. "Alright, I need you to make it lead out from here. Curve it up to the surface."
He swung the light down to the ground, scuffing his foot across the dusty surface as he tracked the beam back up along the passageway, closer to the end they'd entered from.
That should do it.
He threw the kunai to mark the spot. "There."
When Chōji didn't respond, Shikamaru glanced over, frowning. His expression smoothed out at the look on his friend's face. Chōji ducked his head, shifting his weight between each foot in an unconscious gesture that Shikamaru recognised.
"Chōji, you can do this."
Chōji pursed his lips and bumped his fist in a tap against the wall of the tunnel, looking a little uncertain. "Kiba could have done this better, you know."
Shikamaru's lip curled up at one corner as he stepped over, clapping a hand to the Akimichi's shoulder. "I know you can do this."
"It's gonna be pretty loud."
"Not a problem." Shikamaru fished around in his ninja pack, pulling out a slim scroll bound by a thin chain. A silver charm, designed as a music note, dangled from the end.
Chōji didn't look surprised – which surprised Shikamaru.
"Sound suppressing jutsu," the shadow-nin explained.
"That looks familiar."
"Yeah? Well it works like a charm," he uttered drolly, waving the scroll until the music note swayed on its chain.
Chōji's eyes narrowed and fixed on the music note. "Where'd you get that?"
"Asuma-sensei gave me a pack." Shikamaru shrugged, turning the scroll over his knuckles a quick flip. "Ino said it was a crappy present, but I'm not gonna complain."
"Present…?" For a moment Chōji looked strangely thoughtful, then his eyes widened with light-bulb flashing realisation. "So that's how you slept through your joint party last year!"
Shikamaru's eyes rounded.
Busted.
He hooked his arm behind his head with a sigh, looking off to the side somewhat shamefaced as he grumbled. "Hn. Troublesome."
"Ino screamed for like five minutes straight but you wouldn't budge," Chōji chuckled at the memory. "Kiba thought you were passed-out drunk. Maybe drugged."
Shikamaru's lips curved, his brow arching with amusement. "Yeah? He also thinks I took up smoking, so go figure."
"You know you're not gonna get away with it this year."
"What a drag. I might voluntarily blow myself up then."
The childhood friends traded a quiet chuckle and it eased some of the anxiety and conflict twisting inside the shadow-nin like thorns. It was a much needed breather he knew he wouldn't get for the next few hours. Either way, it was a brief timeout. Time sure as hell wouldn't put itself on hold for the past and its memories.
The gears in Shikamaru's mind shifted the second his smile passed away.
Focus sheeted across his eyes, turning them sharp and calculating once more.
"Let's get this over with."

"When this is over, I'm on a one-man mission to Ichiraku's."
"Nice plan, if you're not being served up to your little orange buddies, lovebird."
"Oh yeah? Well I hope they crap me out on you straight after."
"Will you two stop?" Sakura grumbled between her fingers, her face planted in her palm as she scowled. "Seriously, it's disgusting."
"Well I think it's karma." Naruto shrugged. "Kiba gets Akamaru to whiz on people all the time, so it's only fair he gets crapped on."
Kiba gaped. "Karma my ass."
Hibari paused with a glass of juice half-way to his lips. "So it was your dog that pissed on my sword."
"Hell yeah." Kiba grinned. "And you were swinging that thing like a bat. Good aim, right?"
"Man that just sounds wrong," Naruto snickered, then yelped as Sakura gave him a dead arm, her solid punch almost knocking him into Lee.
Lee steadied him with a firm hand. "There is nothing wrong with good aim, Naruto-kun."
Naruto and Kiba burst out laughing.
Hibari arched a brow at the interaction, glancing across at Neji.
The Hyūga shook his head in a silent entreaty that gracefully stated 'don't involve me in the depraved idiocy'.
While Neji had only been half-listening to the absurd chatter, he remained completely detached from it. It pattered on disjointedly around the table, with lapses of awkward silence. Silences in which he was certain most of the Konoha team's gazes strayed to him. He'd distracted himself by looking over the strategy Shikamaru had scrawled out across the map. While the team had looked it over and knew their positions and what was required, a few points needed to be fleshed out and confirmed.
Where are you, Nara?
"Hey Chōji, did Shikamaru get lost or what?" Kiba asked.
The question drew Neji's gaze across the broad table and away from the map spread out across it. Kiba's feet remained propped on the edge and the dog-nin sat at an angle, chair teetering back, hands folded behind his head in a blasé manner at odds with the fierce glint in his eyes.
The animal-like orbs narrowed marginally when they met Neji's gaze across the table.
Neji held the deadlock, his pride pushing him to stare Kiba down. However, given the energy it took to rise to the pointless challenge, it wasn't worth it. It was taking enough energy to fight the dizziness and ignore the pain in his chest. He ended the face-off without surrendering, adopting a 'rise-above-it' tactic that preserved his image of arrogance. At this point, it was best to appear predictable – especially given how volatile he felt beneath the surface.
Neji turned his focus onto Chōji when the Akimichi responded.
"He was just getting something from the medical room."
Neji's gut tightened.
"Is he alright?" the Hyūga asked in a neutral tone.
Kiba snorted. Sakura shot him a glare.
Chōji shifted uncomfortably under the weight of mounting tension between friends and comrades. "Yeah, I think he had a headache."
"No fucking shit," Kiba muttered, his eyes on Neji.
Hibari frowned quizzically, observing the interaction in silence as he sipped at his drink. Neji's face hardened like granite, but before he could attempt to confront and correct the situation, Naruto spoke up.
"Kiba, knock it off," the Uzumaki growled, surprising Neji completely with this unexpected defence. "It's not gonna help."
"Whatever," Kiba snapped but said no more, his sharp eyes still centred on Neji.
The Hyūga ignored the stare, less bothered by Kiba than he was by Akamaru. The dog's golden eyes were once again turned up toward him from where the canine's head rested on his large paws. To make it worse, Akamaru didn't even look aggressive; if anything, the fur above his muzzle was furrowed into what could only be described as an animal expression of concern.
The dog whined quietly, drawing Kiba's gaze. Hinata looked over too, almost catching Neji's eye.
Neji fought to keep his focus on Chōji. "Perhaps someone should go and find him."
"Nah," Kiba tilted his head back and sniffed the air. "No need."
"Should I be insulted?" Shikamaru's voice carried into the room moments before he did.
Kiba smirked. "You smell like toad oil."
"Worse things to smell like," the Nara shrugged, stepping over to the table to pull up a chair beside Chōji.
"Yeah, like cigarettes."
"Funny."
Neji glanced up without raising or turning his head, casting his eyes over Shikamaru in a critical sweep that searched for injury. The shadow-nin dropped an elbow onto the table and set his fingers to his temple, his eyes cast down.
"Alright, everyone pay attention."
Almost immediately, Naruto smacked the back of his hand across the map in a gesture of dismissal and displeasure. "Shikamaru, you gave our resistance group a crappy name."
Shikamaru blinked. "What?"
Naruto scowled and rapped his knuckles above the word crayoned to one side of the map. "What the hell is that? Armed, ready and terrifying?"
Neji closed his eyes in composed exasperation.
Gods give me strength…
"That's not a resistance group acronym, Naruto," Neji said quietly.
"Acro-what?"
"It's not a group name," Kiba clarified.
"Sure hope not 'cause ART isn't exactly scary."
"They're the three Teams, dumbass," Sakura snorted, though she looked like she was trying not to laugh.
Naruto scowled and slid his hand away from the scrawled word on the map. "Eh? Then what the hell?"
Lee reached across to enthusiastically point out each letter. "Team Aviary, Team Rebel and Team Temple. ART."
"Oh, right."
"Genius at work." Kiba grinned.
"Shut up, crap-magnet. Numbers make more sense."
Shikamaru slid a finger along his eyebrow. "You'll remember this better, trust me."
"Remember this too," Hibari warned, "if you hurt one of those birds, I might remember how many times you've hit me."
"Hey we're even," Naruto growled. "Considering you frickin' knocked me out!"
Neji arched a brow.
When did that happen?
"Then we're almost even," Hibari said.
"Yeah, if he hits you again that'll settle the score," Kiba added unhelpfully.
Hibari nodded. "Sounds like justice to me."
Naruto flushed, then exploded. "You took a cheap shot when my back was turned!"
"And you took a shot when I couldn't move."
"I wasn't even aiming for you the second time!"
"Which tells me your friend's dog has better aim than you do," Hibari retorted hotly, although he looked reluctantly amused despite his anger. "Which begs the question, if your aim is that mal-coordinated, then what the hell will you hit if I let you into that aviary?"
Naruto looked ready to combust on the spot.
Kiba snorted, winking across at the fuming Uzumaki. "Maybe you should aim for the birds and then you'll hit the enemy for sure."
Hibari's humour took a nosedive. "That's about as funny as your face will look if you joke about harming our birds again."
Kiba's eyes flashed.
Neji stared blankly at the surreal and ridiculous exchange firing off around the table. He looked across to Shikamaru. The shadow-nin simply kneaded his temples with thumb and forefinger, muttering under his breath.
Neji's concern almost betrayed itself, but opting for a more productive reaction, he moved to end the pointless round of abuse. He intercepted Kiba's response and pulled a calm but cold mask across his face.
"We understand and respect the importance of the birds, Hibari," Neji said, his deep tones pitched with an unerring stillness that spread to all ends of the table, immediately quietening Naruto and Kiba in their seats. "They will not be harmed."
Shikamaru's fingers flexed at his temple, a movement that drew Neji's gaze. The Nara was watching him with an unreadable look from between the slot of his fingers. The instant pull of those dark eyes caused Neji to look away first.
"Hibari," Sakura spoke up, looking a little nervous, "how exactly are Team A supposed to catch your bird?"
Naruto snorted, scratching at the corner of his mouth to keep from smirking. "You mean how is Shikamaru gonna catch it."
Kiba chuckled. "Please say with a net. I'd kill to see that."
Shikamaru shot the Inuzuka a dry look. "With Hibari's blood."
"Looks like you need quite a bit of that, huh?" Hibari muttered, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Shikamaru shook his head. "Can't be helped."
"What do you mean?" Sakura frowned, glancing between them.
"We need Hibari's blood to lure the bird to Shikamaru," Neji explained. "And to access the Temple."
The Nara nodded, looking distracted suddenly. "That's about it."
Neji had no time to try to decipher what was wrong. Hibari turned toward him.
"Provided we disable Ozuku," the Tsubasa said. "Hyūga, the second I'm locked in with that jutsu it's going to be up to you to get to the scroll chamber and prevent his advisers from escaping. Stopping them will be more important than stopping Ozuku."
Neji hummed, his gaze on Shikamaru. "Understood."
"Neji," Shikamaru said, not looking across, "don't forget that you'll need Ozuku's blood to access the scroll chamber."
"That certainly won't be a problem," Neji replied lowly, his tone leaving no doubt that he meant it.
Naruto grimaced. "What's with all the blood?"
Hibari walked his fingers along the map and tapped the sketch of the Temple. "Within the Temple, blood is used to seal and access rooms. It is also used when we bond with our birds. Like a blood pact."
"I get it," Naruto's eyes brightened. "Like with summoning jutsu, right?"
"Similar, bar the signature on a scroll. My bird knows my blood. They took her from me and have kept her in the aviary ever since I defected." Hibari sat back in his chair, the lantern light glinting off the winged pendants hanging around his neck. "No one has ever been able to use the mind-transference on her. She responds only to me."
"Pretty impressive," Kiba said.
"She is," Hibari murmured, his lips curving softly.
Neji looked over as Kiba cocked his head, looking askance at Hibari with what could have been respect, seeming to find a thread of understanding with the Tsubasa.
"What kinda breed is she?" the Inuzuka asked, unconsciously dropping a hand to scratch Akamaru's head.
"Golden Eagle," Hibari said, making no effort to disguise his pride. "Revered. Even by the other birds."
"Hence the game plan," Shikamaru reminded, straightening up to crab his fingers in front of him.
The gesture created an instant change around the table. The air sharpened with a collective shift in focus, all attention immediately directed onto the Nara.
Neji's lips twitched in the barest ghost of smile.
He wondered if it was a calculated movement on the shadow-nin's part, or an entirely unconscious one. It was always difficult to tell with someone who was so many steps ahead that just racing to keep up often meant playing into their hands.
Here it comes.
Shikamaru didn't disappoint and began immediately. "Kiba, when you get started on your part remember to make it as broad as you can. It's a lot of ground to cover."
Kiba rubbed Akamaru's ear. "I love nosebleeds."
"You gonna be able to pull it off?"
"Hell yeah, I'm good."
Shikamaru took his word for it and flicked his gaze to Naruto. "Naruto? The rebels will do their part, but you're gonna have to hit the aviary hard with that open feint. Make it count."
"Get it, got it."
Shikamaru waited for any questions. There were none. Neji watched him turn his gaze to Hinata. Here the Nara's fingers – still crabbed and touching at the tips – began to flex slightly, his tactician mind processing at a speed Neji could only vaguely estimate.
"Hinata, you're our eyes and ears. Keep well out of range and make sure you've got a mic for each team." Shikamaru nodded towards the map. "I need to know we're operating in tandem at all times. When Neji gives the signal, my team needs to know."
Hinata nodded. "I understand."
"Good. Isuka will get us into the village through the veterinary." Shikamaru waited for Hibari's nod before continuing. "Make sure the rebels are all equipped with those portable water field scrolls."
"Already done," Hibari assured. "Team R are good to go."
"Alright. Team T. Lee, Chōji," he looked to them in turn. "The Temple shinobi are down to you two." Shikamaru waited for their nods, then drew a slow breath. "Sakura, while they draw attention, you need to make sure any casters or kids make it out safe. Provide backup for Neji and Hibari if it's needed."
The kunoichi nodded sharply. "Right."
Shikamaru paused here and dropped his eyes to the map, one look away from setting his gaze on Neji. Automatically, the Hyūga's nerves tightened and his muscles steeled…but his eyes failed to ice over.
He'd been following the orbit of Shikamaru's gaze around the group, feeling as though he were tracking a weapon; a weapon curving in a dangerous trajectory straight towards him. He knew not to underestimate the shrewd power of those eyes…but now, after everything that had happened within the span of a few stolen hours, those eyes held an entirely different kind of power. Because more devastating than their ability to decipher him, was their power to disarm him. The last time he'd looked into those dark eyes he'd known that any anger they might provoke in him would never be enough to distract from the ache they now created.
The ache was stronger than the anger, maybe even stronger than the fear.
Sadness lodged hard in Neji's chest, causing the pain in his lungs to swell.
Fuck…
His fingers tightened on his thighs and he almost leaned forward as if winded.
Akamaru and Hinata looked over as he silently straightened.
God just focus…just a little longer.
Detachment and composure were pivotal. So when Shikamaru finally raised his chin, Neji's face was as guarded and closed as it had ever been.
However, while Shikamaru turned his head, he never raised his eyes.
"Neji," the shadow-nin eventually said, having passed off his hesitation as a pause for thought. "By the time you get Ozuku's blood, his advisers are gonna be mobilising to use that escape route. You'll need to get in fast."
Neji studied him closely before asking, "This escape route, did Kitori tell you where to find it?"
Shikamaru shook his head. "While she confirmed it exists, we couldn't locate it in time. You're just gonna have to get in there faster than they can get out."
Neji pursed his lips.
Wonderful.
Pain speared along his left arm to his shoulder.
He made to raise a hand to his chest, but stopped himself, setting it on the table instead.
He nodded stiffly. "Very well."
Shikamaru kept his gaze averted, but his voice direct. "We need to move now, before they hit us with that jutsu. You've got the tattoo markings memorised?"
"Yes."
"Then there's nothing left to say."
"Well, alright!" Naruto lurched to his feet with a growl, brushing a thumb across his chin, blue orbs aglow with conviction. "Let's do this!"
Neji noted the rising spirits and lifting heads as all faces turned towards Naruto.
All but one.
Shikamaru never looked up.
The shadow-nin bowed his head into the brace of his hand…and closed his eyes.
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Break to Breathe